The Paper Guide Paper Sizes
Letter Paper – 8.5" x 11"
Letter size paper measures 8.5 inches by 11 inches. It's the most commonly used paper size in the United States and is the standard size for everyday office printing, working with virtually every desktop inkjet, laser printer, copier and commercial printing press.
Letter paper gets its name directly from its historical and primary use—writing everyday personal and business correspondences. In 1980, the U.S. federal government adopted Letter size 8.5 × 11 inch paper as its official government standard form size.
| Letter Paper is Commonly Used For: |
|---|
| – Everyday Printing |
| – Business Documents |
| – School Worksheets and Syllabuses |
| – Church Bulletins and Inserts |
| – Restaurant Menus |
| – Brochures |
| – Flyers |
Legal Paper – 8.5" x 14"
Legal size paper measures 8.5 inches by 14 inches. This size provides three additional inches of length compared with Letter paper while maintaining the same 8.5-inch width.
Although the name comes from its traditional use for legal documents, it can be useful anywhere additional vertical space is needed without moving to a substantially larger sheet. Perforated Legal size paper is often used for church bulletins or coupon mailers, allowing the extra space to be used for detachable communications.
Before choosing Legal size paper, check your printer specifications. Many office printers accommodate 8.5" x 14" sheets, but some require a dedicated paper tray or manual-feed setting.
| Legal Paper is Commonly Used For: |
|---|
| – Legal Documents |
| – Church Bulletins |
| – Restaurant Menus |
| – Brochures |
| – Posters |
| – Charts and Diagrams |
| – Design Plans |
Tabloid / Ledger Paper – 11" x 17"
Tabloid / Ledger paper measures 11 inches by 17 inches. This larger format provides exactly twice the printable area of an 8.5" x 11" Letter sheet. That relationship makes 11" x 17" particularly useful for folded projects.
You'll often see this size described as 11 x 17 paper, Tabloid paper or Ledger paper. Although the terms Tabloid and Ledger technically refer to orientation—Tabloid is used for portrait orientation (11 × 17 inches) while Ledger is used for landscape orientation (17 × 11 inches)—they're frequently used interchangeably when shopping for paper.
Tabloid paper gets its name from early 20th century newspapers that were half the size of traditional broadsheets, measuring 11 by 17 inches. Ledger paper gets its name from its traditional use in accounting and bookkeeping where it was the standard size for opening a Ledger book.
Printing on 11 x 17 paper generally requires equipment beyond a standard desktop printer. In office settings, larger-format jobs are typically handled by ledger-capable printers or multifunction devices specifically designed to accommodate oversized paper. When this equipment is not available, wide-format printers or professional printing services are commonly used.
| Tabloid / Ledger Paper is Commonly Used For: |
|---|
| – Drawings |
| – Diagrams |
| – Large Tables |
| – Newsletters |
| – Church Bulletins |
| – Restaurant Menus |
Digital Paper – 12" x 18" or 13" x 19"
Digital paper measures 12 inches by 18 inches or 13 inches by 19 inches and is commonly used in digital and commercial printing, particularly when the finished piece needs printing that extends all the way to the edge.
Professional printers often print the artwork beyond the final trim line—a technique called bleed—and then trim the larger sheet down to its finished dimensions. A 12" x 18" or 13" x 19" sheet provides the extra space needed for bleed, crop marks, color bars and other production requirements.
| Legal Paper is Commonly Used For: |
|---|
| – Drawings |
| – Diagrams |
| – Large Tables |
| – Newsletters |
| – Church Bulletins |
| – Restaurant Menus |
| – Posters |
